On 13/14 May 1941, twenty one of the 19th
Bombardment Groups B-17 Flying Fortresses were flown from March Field to Hamilton
Field near San Francisco. Later that same evening, the B-17s left for a 2,400 mile flight
to Hickam Field, in Hawaii. A now famous B-17D, "Swoose"
was one of these aircraft. "Swoose" is now located in the National Air and
Space Museum in Washington, USA.

Newspaper clipping in the files of the
Griffith Observatory indicate that the officers of these twenty one B-17s, under
the command of Eugene L. Eubank, visited the Griffith Observatory from March Air
Field to get a secret navigation refresher-preview of the stars during the
flight on the night before their departure. This visit was the first of many
that followed during WWII to train thousands of flight cadets and officers in
star recognition and basic astronomy used by navigators in the air.

This was the first mass flight of land based
aircraft to make the trip and the first time that the United States had flown land-based
aircraft to reinforce an overseas base. The airplanes arrived at Hickam in 13 hours and 10
minutes.

The first B-17 Flying Fortresses to be based in
Australia were 14 early model Flying Fortresses of the 19th Bomb Group which had been
evacuated from Del Monte air field in the Philippines. They began arriving at Batchelor
airfield in the Northern Territory on 17 December 1941. Some of the more war-weary B-17's
were sent south to Laverton in Victoria for major overhauls. These B-17's started to fly
bombing missions against Tulagi and other targets in the Solomons from their new base in Townsville. They would also drop supplies to allied forces in the
Celebes. They would either stage through Port Moresby or Batchelor for these missions.

By New Year's Day 1942, eleven B-17's flew to a
new base at Malang in Java. Their main target then was Japanese shipping. These B-17's
were reinforced in January 1942 by some LB-30 Liberators and some new B-17E's of the 7th
Bomb Group. These aircraft were later withdrawn to Batchelor at the end of February
1942.

B-17E Flying Fortress, #41-2460,
piloted by 2nd Lt. C.H. Millhouse, had arrived in Australia on 15 January 1942
via Africa. Both of these B-17E's had operated in the Philippines with the 7th
Bombardment Group before being evacuated back to Australia and transferred to
the 19th
Bombardment Group.

On 17 February 1942, ten B-17 Flying Fortresses
of a US Navy Task Force in "Southern Bomber Command" arrived at Archerfield airfield in Brisbane. These ten B-17's were part of a
group of twelve B-17's that had flown from Hawaii via Plaine de Gaiacs, New Caledonia.
They had spent a number of weeks in Hawaii prior to this long flight. On the final leg
from Plaine de Gaiacs, two of the B-17's flew directly to Townsville in north Queensland
through a tropical storm and landed at Townsville on
19 February 1942. These two were piloted by Captain Lewis and the other
by Harry Spieth. Dick Graf was Radio Operator on Captain Lewis's aircraft. Three
other B-17E's of the US Navy Task Force had earlier flown from Hawaii directly
to Java.

This Naval Task Force was made up of twelve B-17's from a
variety of Squadrons under the command of Captain R. Carmichael. Six of the Navy's ten
B-17's that flew into Archerfield on 17 February 1942, were ex
members of the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron of the 7th Bomb Group. The 88th Reconnaissance
squadron had earlier flown from California to Hawaii arriving during the Japanese air raid
on 7 December 1941. Harold N. Chaffin's
B-17E, #41-2430, was damaged that night when an Australian DC3 civilian
aircraft, VH-ACB, piloted by Keith Virtue, ran into it while taxiing (see
below). Only nine B-17E's flew on to Townsville
the next day to join the other two that had arrived there directly. So they
ended up with 11 aircraft and 12 crews as a result of the mishap at Archerfield.
There was no
accommodation at the Garbutt airfield. The officers
were put up in some hotels in the city and the other ranks were put up in some
tents near the airfield. Dick Graf told me that these aircraft were mainly used
for reconnaissance missions.

On 14 March 1942, Special Order No. 1 was issued
for the merger of personnel and equipment of the 7th Bomb Group into the 19th Bomb Group
in Australia. The new 19th Bomb Group consisted of five squadrons under the command of Lt.
Col. K. Hobson:-

On 14 March 1942, the Naval Task Force B-17E
Flying Fortresses of "Southern Bomber Command" (ex 88th Reconnaissance
Squadron of
7th Bomb Group), based in Townsville were transferred to the 40th
Reconnaissance Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group, USAAF under the command of Major
W.C. Lewis. It was three of these B-17's that were sent from Townsville
to rescue General Douglas MacArthur from the Philippines. The
40th Reconnaissance Squadron was redesignated to become the 435th
Squadron on 22 April 1942.

B-17E returns to
Garbutt airfield
with something new - Bullet holes.
This is probably B-17E #41-2638 "I'm Willing" of the 19th
Bomb Group.Frank Hohmann flew 7 missions in this aircraft. The
aircraft was returned to the USA.

With some of their own aircraft and some new
B-17E Flying Fortresses, the 19th Bomb Group moved to bases at Cloncurry, Townsville and
Longreach.

An
APO list that I have shows the 30th
Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group (H) located at Cloncurry in June 1942.

The B-17E's of the 19th Bomb Group staged
missions through Port Moresby from Townsville from about April to
August 1942. They lost their first aircraft, "San Antonio Rose II"
(possibly #41-2447) when it disappeared during a mission.

On 7 August 1942, Harl
Pease, the pilot that General MacArthur rejected during a
"bungled" rescue attempt in the Philippines, was killed when his B-17E,
#41-2439, was shot down in flames near the confluence of the Mavlo and
Powell Rivers near Rabaul. He had finished his bombing run and had returned to the target
to draw enemy fire away from other aircraft about to start their bombing run. His aircraft
crashed into the jungle and the crew were buried by local missionaries. It was not until
1946, that their bodies were recovered for a full military burial. Harl Pease was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honour for his bravery.

On 9 August 1942, the 19th Bomb Group lost 3
aircraft during a mission on Rabaul:-

1. Capt.
H.J.M. Hawthorn force-landed his shot-up B-17 #41-2452 on a beach on Malapla Island.
Other crew members were 2nd Lt P.J. Scarboro, 2nd Lt Robert J. Haase, 2nd
Lt. N.E. Bryant, Cpl Paul Harmon, Cpl. R.M.M. Andrad, Cpl Walter Buchanan.
Pte. Arnold Osborn, and S/Sgt Selm. The crew were looked after by the local
natives and were later taken to Milne Bay and flown back to their base.

2. #41-2660 had an engine fire
and was last seen disappearing into the clouds

3. #41-2643 was shot down by
Japanese fighters over Lakunai crashing into Rondahl's plantation. Only two of the
crew went down with the aircraft.

On 15 September 1942, B-17 #41-2659, "Frank Buck", made an
emergency landing at Hood Point near Port Moresby after a raid on Rabaul. Vernon O. "Skeets"
Elder was the tail gunner on this
mission. The above photograph was found by his son Ken Elder among his personal
belongings. The aircraft was repaired. It was
later transferred to the 43rd Bomb Group.

On 23 October 1942, twelve B-17 Flying
Fortresses of the 19th Bomb Group relocated from Mareeba to Townsville.
Each B-17 had 15 air echelon passengers on board. The group was lead by Colonel
Carmichael. They were on their way via Townsville to Pocatello,
Idaho, USA. The ground echelon departed the following month by ship.

On 1 November 1942, B-17E, #41-2635, was
reported missing after a raid on Buin-Faisi. This was the last combat loss for the 19th
Bomb Group. The men of the 19th Bomb Group had fought long and hard since their time
in the Philippines. General Kenney ordered the
group home.

The 19th Bomb Group on parade at Longreach.
Captain Felix Hardison, the commander of 93 Squadron is standing in front of his
Squadron. At the right hand side of the photograph is the original hanger in which
QANTAS began its operation at Longreach in 1920.

Lt. James T. Connally and the crew of B-17C
Flying Fortress #40-2062 at Batchelor, Northern Territory after their first bombing raid
out of Australia. Nine B-17's staged through Del Monte on Mindanoa to bomb the Japanese
landing at Legaspi. (see E-mails from William B Price II.)

Colonel Connally (see above photo) was the
Commanding Officer of the 19th Bomb Group at Longreach for a short time. Captain Felix
Hardison was in command of the 93rd Squadron. 30 Squadron was based at Cloncurry and
the 435th Squadron was based at Townsville.

BATTLE HONOURS

19TH BOMBARDMENT GROUPThe 19th Bombardment Group (heavy) had been twice cited, once for its
performance from 1 January 1942 until 1 March 1942, and again for the period 7 August 1942
until 12 August 1942. During the first period the 19th opposed the numerically superior
Japanese during the enemy drive through the Philippines and Netherlands East Indies to
Java, employed all available aircraft to strike wherever the enemy could be found. Despite
adverse weather and lack of adequate maintenance personnel, the 19th daily inflicted great
damage upon the enemy. The second citation recognises the accomplishment of repeated
long-range bombing attacks on heavily defended Japanese ground, air and naval elements
near Rabaul, New Britain. In the face of hazardous weather, interception by superior
numbers of enemy fighters, and intense antiaircraft fire on practically every mission,
damage to enemy targets was extensive.

(Also cited twice as a unit of 2 organisations
engaged in defence of the Philippines, and again as a unit of U.S. Papuan Forces.)

435TH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRONThe 435th Bombardment Squadron (heavy), a unit of
the 19th Bombardment Group (heavy), between 10 September 1942 and 10 October 1942,
fulfilled frequent reconnaissance and photographic missions with unescorted Flying
Fortresses, inflicting severe damage on the enemy over a wide area including New Guinea,
New Britain, New Ireland and the Solomon Islands. Hampered by adverse weather which
necessitated low flying for observation, and by hostile anti-aircraft fire and fighter
attacks, the 435th secured and transmitted accurate
information on enemy shipping, made valuable photographs of important enemy-held bases and
areas, and damaged enemy aircraft, ground installations and shipping. Notwithstanding many
hours of flight and repeated combat damage, the ground echelon maintained 80% of the
aircraft in combat condition at all times. (The 435th was
also cited as a unit of the 19th Group for action 1 August 1942 until 12 August 1942, and
as a unit of the U.S. Papuan Forces.)

I'd like to thank Toni Seward for
his assistance with this web page. Toni's father-in-law was the late
2nd Lt Robert J. Haase, who passed away in 1996. 2nd Lt. Haase was the
Bombardier on this aircraft.

I'd like to thank
Anthony Cook, Astronomical Observer at the Griffith Observatory.

REFERENCE BOOKS:-

The Forgotten FifthA Classic Photographic Chronology of the
Fifth Air Force in Action in the Pacific in WW2By Michael Claringbould